Installing rubber control arm bumper

[Railroadman]

It seems no matter what vehicle you work on, once in a while you get some seemingly simple job that drives you crazy. And today i have the King Midas Touch in reverse - everything I touch turns to $hit.

What is the magic secret to installing the rubber bumper on the lower control arm of a 3/4 ton? The new one seems to be made out of 10-ply rubber. I soaked it in hot water, used dish soap liberally, but still can't get that little SOB in.

I've tried poking it under the "ears" with a screwdriver, a putty knife, wooden wedges. I've tried starting one corner and "rocking" and twisting. All I have accomplished it mangling the bumper to the point I may have to toss it out. I'm going to have to learn another language because I have used up every cuss word there is in English and I threw in a couple from other countries and they didn't help either.

From what I can see the "tabs" or ears on the control arm are pretty sturdy steel and have not been bent out of shape. They DO curve downward but the old one came out of there so the new one "should" go in.

Any magic tricks, or just keep hacking away at it?

[racecougar]

Try to get those ears bent up straight, heat the bumpstop up in hot water, spray it with some silicone, and work it in. I've had success with a nylon trim tool to push it in.

[Southcity]

The suggestions from racecougar are spot on. In addition to those steps I've used a large C Clamp and some wood pieces to clamp/push the bumpstop into it's final resting spot.

[Railroadman]

Thanks Rod! To be sure I understand you, you're saying try to bend the curve out of these two tabs here, right? Torch time, I guess. I'd hate to try bending them cold and snap one off.

[racecougar]

As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words. From your post I expected they were bent down more than that. You could pry them up a little, but truthfully, you should be able to get the bumpstop in just as they are now.

[Railroadman]

Here's some dimensions.

Between each set of blue arrows is 0.38 - that's the width of the slot



Here's a side view of the bumper. Dimension between the 2 yellow arrows is about 0.36 . So once installed it's about as snug as can be.

Dimension between the 2 red arrows is just about 0.80 . Obviously it can't go straight through the slot, one side will have to be inserted first, then the other.



The thing that's really getting me is I took a straight edge across the top of the bracket, say between two opposing blue arrows. I took another flat surface across the bottom of those 2 tabs where they are bent down. The vertical difference is 0.45 . Now hen looking at the bumper, the two green arrows below show how far the rubber would have to stretch to fit in that space. So it sounds like your suggestion of straightening the tabs flatter is needed in that dimension, but it would bring the tabs closer together when we only have 0.02 to play with.

This whole this isn't rocket science but somehow it's become a major PITA.

[racecougar]

Originally Posted by Railroadman

The thing that's really getting me is I took a straight edge across the top of the bracket, say between two opposing blue arrows. I took another flat surface across the bottom of those 2 tabs where they are bent down. The vertical difference is 0.45.

There's the killer. It doesn't look like they're that far down in the photo, but if they're 1/2" down, you'll have one heck of a time trying to get that bumpstop in. I would recommend bending them up closer to 3/16"-1/4".

[Railroadman]

That's my thought at the moment, bend them up closer to horizontal, and if need be, take a Dermel to widen out the gap if bending them closes it up too much.

I've got to be missing something somewhere, this should not be that difficult a project. Thanks for the help!

[Railroadman]

Originally Posted by Southcity

The suggestions from racecougar are spot on. In addition to those steps I've used a large C Clamp and some wood pieces to clamp/push the bumpstop into it's final resting spot.

Might be worth a try, thanks. Given the dimensions I'm seeing it doesn't seen like it would go but maybe.

[Railroadman]

Follow-up - I got it. I'm tenacious and persistent. (my wife says I'm stubborn! )

I didn't use the torch after all, but used a screwdriver to pry just the two corners of the tabs upwards a bit. Used a LOT of dish soap all over everything. I was able to get the rubber started under the tabs I pried up, then used force to slide the bumper toward the ball joint, poking the rubber flap under when it tried to ride up as I went. Not easy but they're on there.

Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated!

[Southcity]

Victory! we've all been there using different methods but it is quite rewarding when that bump-stop finally pops in.

[Railroadman]

Originally Posted by Southcity

Victory! we've all been there using different methods but it is quite rewarding when that bump-stop finally pops in.

No matter what vehicle we work on, there are always those simple 5-minute jobs that take 5 hours (or more) to get done!

Especially when you're doing a given thing the first time. That's where a place like this forum is so helpful, there is always somebody - or multiple somebodies - who have been there done that and can share that experience and wisdom.